So, the "epilogue of the 95th floor", as I'd like to call it, is finally finished, and here it is.
This chapter is basically a compilation of five short stories, looking into the thoughts of various people on the events of the past ~20 chapters.
On the day when the Assault Team raided the last bastion of the goblins of the 95th floor, somewhere inside this very fortress – to be more precise, inside a large chamber that served as the control room for the portcullis system throughout the entire structure – there was a group of players who, with the help of two lizardmen, held that position against wave after wave of relentless goblin monsters.
At the front line, there was the KoB's Team A, the party consisting of their strongest members (aside from Kirito and Asuna, that is). They stood by the entrance to the room and intercepted any monster that barged in.
Their leader, Max, stood right in the middle of this turbulent battle, currently fighting off a Goblin Guard. He blocked several blows with shield until he tilted it slightly while parrying a diagonal strike. He did so in such a way that his enemy's blade slid off to the side, and the unprepared Goblin Guard lost its balance and tumbled. That created an opening for Max to attack with Sharp Nail, which swiftly reduced the Goblin Guard's HP to zero within three fast slashes.
While he was busy with that, however, Max neglected his defense on the other side… and just then, another Goblin Guard attacked from that direction. It was the man next to Max, Schneider, who intercepted that foe with Reverse Deadly Road. The initial downward slash with his spear knocked the Goblin Guard's sword down, and the following thrusts hit the monster. Well, that is, two out of three of them did. The third one, which was aimed the highest, missed, but Schneider had still successfully repelled the attack.
The roles were now reversed, and Max stepped in front of Schneider, fending off attacks from two more monsters until Schneider could move again.
Max: Thanks for backing me up, but don't leave yourself wide open in the process. You almost made it even worse!
Schneider: Then don't get yourself in a pinch in the first place! [slightly irritatedly] It's no use killing these monsters anyway… They'll just respawn. [chases a goblin away with a thrust of his spear] Ugh, how much longer do we have to hold out here while these goblins just keep coming?! Aren't we done here?
Max: The Vice-commander wants us to defend the control room in case we need it again, so we stay here until the battle is over! Or until she gives us a different order! [parries another blow] Besides, we're in charge of securing this floor anyway, [swipes at his opponent] and this position is easier to defend than our last one!
Well, that much was true, and even Schneider had no intention of arguing with that. There was only one point of entry to this room (at least only one that was available to the enemy), and the KoB party had formed a defensive line right in front of it, where they could hold back wave after wave of goblin monsters fairly easily.
That said, they hadn't fully surrounded the entranceway, and that was illustrated quite well when another, more formidable monster, a Goblin Warden, entered. The monster glared at the KoB unit for a brief moment before looking around to each side, and it quickly decided to go to the right. There was, however, no risk of the Goblin Warden circling around the players, at least not unimpededly.
Max: Special one coming in on the left side!
That message went to the groups guarding the flanks. On the right side, there were the lizardmen, and on the left… there was, for instance, the girl who came around from behind one of the KoB members and swang her short sword at the unprepared Goblin Warden. It still managed to parry and avoid a direct hit, though.
Its assailant, who was none other than Philia, slipped past the monster and stopped just one wide step away from it, where she got ready for a follow-up attack. Keeping it simple, she went for Horiziontal. This time, the Goblin Warden had a second longer to react, and it did a better job parrying the Sword Skill – at least as far as its technique is concerned. Philia's attack was too strong to be blocked so easily, so the Goblin Warden was pushed back, and it sustained a shallow cut on its chest.
Now, however, the goblin had an opportunity for a counterattack, so it readied its sword… and opted to leap to the side instead, right in time to dodge the mace that was slammed onto the ground where the Goblin Warden had stood. Now, the monster swung its sword at its second attacker, Lisbeth, who could only try to block the strike with her arm. The blade hit her bracer, and it didn't cut into her arm deeply.
By that time, Philia could continue the fight, and she attacked the Goblin Warden before it could cause Lisbeth any more trouble. She engaged in a sword duel with the monster, although it quickly became clear who was the superior fencer between these two – this fight didn't go any better for Philia than her last duel with a Goblin Warden.
In order to help her, Lisbeth lifted her mace on her left side up to the height of her stomach.
Lisbeth: Only two seconds longer, Philia!
As she was saying this, Lisbeth began charging a Sword Skill, namely Heart Strike. The Goblin Warden initially reacted with the intent to attack Lisbeth preemptively, but Philia had caught on to Lisbeth's "request", so – in order to buy her a few seconds – she repeatedly swung her sword fiercely and rapidly at the monster to keep it occupied.
That didn't work out completely. While the Goblin Warden had no choice but to defend itself, it simply backed away and moved out of Lisbeth's reach. What's worse: It slipped completely past their line, and upon realising that, the goblin monster dashed away from Philia, only to turn around and run towards the KoB's line of defense from the back.
Lisbeth: Damn, this thing is so stupidly fast!
Philia: You're right about that… Silica, your turn!
Lisbeth: Yeah, sorry, but we need your help!
Indeed, there was one more defender left in its way. Silica had remained on standby for the time being, but she was probably the only one of the trio who could keep up with the Goblin Warden's speed.
Silica [slightly hesitantly]: Alright… [slightly sternly] Pina, stay behind me and get ready!
She took a big step forward, but didn't go further. Well, she didn't have to. The Goblin Warden had already noticed that Silica "volunteered", so it rushed straight towards her, and in the blink of an eye, it was about to close the remaining distance between them with a big leap.
So there it was, a goblin monster clad in black armour, completed with a helmet that hardly revealed its eyes, let alone the rest of its face, lunging at Silica. If Lisbeth's choice of words didn't give it away, Silica had mostly been a benchwarmer for a reason. Her near-death experience earlier had shaken her to the very bone… and those bones were still quivering. This was particularly easy to see in the trembling of the dagger in her right hand, which she was certainly not ready to swing at the monster in front of her.
Speaking of which, the fact that this was a Goblin Warden only made things so much worse. This monster looked more like an executioner than a warrior on a good day, and right now, Silica could do without ever seeing a goblin again her whole life, and that went double for this goblin in front of her. After all, the Goblin Warden earlier had easily been the biggest threat, and that wasn't different now. Of all the days that Leafa could've potentially not been with them, why had it to be this one? All of this could've been considerably easier with her around…
Well, it was no use. Silica was the one who had to fight here, and she couldn't afford any further hesitation, so she urged her shaky legs to work and jumped to the right to dodge the Goblin Warden's attack. That part of the plan worked out just fine, but after slashing nothing but the empty air, the Goblin Warden simply turned and leapt after Silica, who'd just landed on her feet again.
Her plan had actually been to prepare an attack now, but she hadn't accounted for such a quick follow-up attack from her target. There was certainly not enough time to charge any Sword Skills… which, to be honest, didn't really matter since Silica's mind immediately went into "get the hell out of there" mode, and she used Acrobatics for a boosted backwards dash – a poor choice, actually, because Silica crashed directly into Philia, who'd wanted to assist her, but had certainly not expected Silica to shoot straight towards her like that. Silica ended up knocking Philia down onto the floor before falling on top of her. Well, at least she managed to dodge the Goblin Warden's strike after all. When the monster swung its falchion around, it once again slashed nothing but air…
...or it would've – if the goblin hadn't become frozen in the air without warning. Frankly, it made for quite a bizarre sight, this monster levitating motionlessly in the middle of an attack. That, however, lasted only for a second or two, and the Goblin Warden swiftly vanished. Mind you, it wasn't killed by anything – there definitely wasn't a death animation, and nobody got any reward for killing this monster – but it simply disappeared for no apparent reason.
Not that Silica and Philia minded that. If anything, they were relieved that the monster couldn't go after them while they were so vulnerable… albeit that they were incredibly confused, and so was Lisbeth, who came to them to.
Lisbeth: You two are okay? I guess we got off lightly this time… although I really don't get how. What the hell just happened?!
Philia: Well, the monster… disappeared… I guess?
Lisbeth [slightly dryly]: I got that much, thanks. [slightly confusedly] I'd love to know why, though, especially since it wasn't just that one.
She threw a glance at the KoB party. Indeed, they and the lizardmen had been fending off a dozen Goblin Guards just a moment ago, when they'd witnessed the same strange phenomenon, and now, they were asking themselves the same question. That is, until Max offered an explanation.
Max: It must be the end of the battle. We've been here for a while, so I'm sure the others have long reached the boss room. We know that the goblins would disappear when their general is defeated, so that ought to be what just happened.
Everyone around him let this thought sink in. Indeed, this was the most plausible explanation. One after another, the players in the room relaxed, happy that this battle had apparently come to a successful end. Max urged them to keep their guard up until he'd get a confirmation from Asuna, but the tense atmosphere of a battle for survival had already dissipated.
Philia [stands up]: I guess he's right: That's it for today's battle. It sure was something…
Lisbeth: Well, I, for my part, am glad that this is over. Far too many close calls… and even though we – that is, the three of us – didn't even fight a boss or anything of that scale.
Philia [slightly contemplatively]: Hm, but are we completely done?
Lisbeth: Huh, what do you… [annoyed] Ugh, I guess Asuna might still want a report from us or something like that. Or maybe there's something else we have to do now, directly after finishing this war.
Philia: Huh? A-ah, I guess there's that, too. [interestedly] However, I was actually thinking about all the treasure that might still lie hidden all around this base.
Lisbeth wasn't sure what should take her aback more: The excitement in Philia's voice or the glint in her eyes. How did she even have the energy for that left?
Meanwhile, Max had caught Lisbeth's remark, and after thinking about it briefly, he came closer to the girls in order to talk about that.
Max: About the business the Vice-commander might have with you: I can't say for sure, but I doubt that there's anything urgent she'll need to discuss. As far as today's raid is concerned, I guess you can leave the report to me, so you can call it a day and be on your way.
Lisbeth: You're sure that's okay?
Max: I think so, so don't worry about it. Ah, I guess we have to get out of this dungeon anyway, and – just to be safe – it'd be better if you came with us. We'll accompany you to the exit, but where you go from there is entirely up to you.
Well, Lisbeth certainly didn't mind the offer. There was still the possibility that they'd misinterpreted the strange event earlier, and the battle might actually be still going, or different monsters might've started spawning throughout the presumably empty corridors. Going back in a larger group was definitely safer, although she also had the feeling that Max acted a bit too much like a babysitter, but that was a secondary concern of hers.
And for someone else, it wasn't even that…
Philia: Thanks for the offer, but if I get a choice here, I'll one-hundred percent gonna pick the chance to search this place for any remaining treasure, so…
Without hesitation, Philia had taken a grappling hook from her inventory, and she threw it at the ledge of the hole in the ceiling – the very "entrance" she and her party had entered the control room from earlier. After checking that it was firmly attached, Philia was just as quick to climb up. By the time the KoB members had fully grasped what was going on, she was already disappearing into the secret corridor above them.
Schneider: Hey, hold on!
Philia: See you!
And just like that, she was gone. When Schneider (and a few others) kept calling out to her, there wasn't even a response.
Max [to Lisbeth, taken aback, slightly worriedly]: Is… this okay? I mean, is she gonna be alright, all on her own?
Lisbeth [exasperatedly]: Probably. I know it seems crazy, but this girl has gone through much worse. She's pretty much an expert when it comes to dungeon crawling – to the point that you might not be able to find anyone who's truly her equal when it comes to that. [sighs] Anyway, she's gone, so there's no point in fussing over it. Let's just get out of here, shall we?
Max [slightly confusedly]: I-if that's how it is… [thinks] Well, that girl, Philia-san, is her teammate, after all, so she probably knows what's best here… but still, what kind of people is the Vice-commander personally acquainted with? And here I thought her partner was a strange case…
Despite their concerns or their sense of wonder about what kind of scene Philia had just put on, the remaining group walked towards the "actual" exit of the room.
As Lisbeth was doing that, thinking about the antics of her teammate, the other member of the trio she was part of came to her mind. It was in that moment that she noticed something that was off… She turned around and saw Silica still sitting on the floor. Rather than looking rejuvenated after the end of the battle, she seemed to have lost whatever energy she'd had left, and she'd slumped down completely on the spot.
Lisbeth [worriedly]: Hey, Silica, what's wrong? Time to get going, you know?
Silica: Huh? O-oh… You're right. Sorry, I guess I should…
...get up – or so she probably wanted to say, but as it turned out, that was easier said than done. Silica tried to push herself up – repeatedly – but her legs simply didn't cooperate.
Lisbeth: Jeesh, you're that beat?!
Lisbeth may have felt great exasperation because of Silica's state, but her worry still outweighed that. To be fair, Lisbeth could understand Silica to some extent. She hadn't felt comfortable around the goblins prior to that day, and suffering more than one near-death experience at their hands had undoubtedly not helped. To make matters even much worse, Silica's newest familiar had died during the battle… All in all, this had to be the worst day the girl had had in a while, or even for a looong time.
With all that in mind, Lisbeth walked over to Silica and helped her up.
Lisbeth: Well, I guess we better go ho… [slightly awkwardly] to our inn in Arc Sophia. We're done here, after all, so if you're…
Silica: Yes, it's truly over now, isn't it?
At first, Lisbeth was taken aback, and not just by the fact that Silica had interrupted her. The most concerning part was how empty her voice sounded.
Lisbeth: Y-yeah, so… [slightly reassuringly] we can take it easy for the time being. There won't be any more goblins or…
Suddenly, Lisbeth could feel Silica's arm twitch under her hand, which she'd still put on said arm. The fact that this was easily noticeable put her even more on alert, but it also confused her. After all, she was trying to soothe Silica, not to make her nervous… and how did she manage to do the latter rather than the former, anyway? Well, and then…
Silica: Yes, you're right. Since it's – as you've said – all over, the goblins won't show up anymore… not ever again. They've… vanished. For good.
...Lisbeth finally began to realise why Silica was so out of it. She'd got it backwards… Silica wasn't so much relieved that they'd won and ended this battle as she was distraught because of the implications.
It didn't come as much of a surprise, given that Silica, just as Lisbeth herself, had spent most of the war campaign helping Kirito with finding a way to avoid this exact end to the story of the 95th floor. Granted, they'd already known that their chance had been gone when the Assault Team had started their siege on the goblin HQ, but actually experiencing the true and final end of the goblins was still something else. Lisbeth could easily imagine that Silica, even though she probably could do without seeing another goblin for the rest of her life, had absolutely not wanted this story to end the way it just had.
And, to top it all of, there was more...
Silica: To think that they'd just vanish… Really, it was as if they'd been there, fighting with all their might and with no sign of letting up, and then, they were all gone. In this world, I guess you can just… cease to exist like that.
Silica groggily turned her head towards Pina, who was sitting on her shoulder and rubbing its head against her cheek. In return, Silica nuzzled her pet's chin, which the feathered dragon seemed to like quite a bit.
Silica [thinks]: It makes me wonder… How much else is going to just disappear by the time we'll reach the end of this game? Be it disappearing from this world or in this world…
Lisbeth could guess Silica's thoughts well enough just from watching her interaction with Pina. Well, the younger girl's worries weren't new to her to begin with, so it wasn't even hard to figure out what might be going through Silica's head. For Lisbeth, it was considerably harder to determine what she should do about it.
In the end, she had no idea what she might do about the cause of the problem, so she focused on the symptoms instead.
Lisbeth [sighs slightly dramatically]: You and your gloomy thoughts sometimes… Listen, I'm the first one to agree that this floor has been nothing but ongoing depression, [slightly reassuringly] but that's not everything that's going on around you, is it? [determinedly] I can guarantee you that there are plenty of people who won't just go poof on you, and you better believe that I'll be one of them!
Upon hearing that, Silica turned towards Lisbeth. It was at least some reaction, although she merely gazed at her comrade's face silently, still in a bit of a daze. As mentioned, it was, however, some kind of reaction nonetheless, and that was enough to earn a small smile from Lisbeth.
Lisbeth: So how about we leave this mess behind us – even if it's just for today – and celebrate that it's at least over? Let's head back to Arc Sophia already, and call it a day! Or even better yet: Let's stop by that café you've taken a liking to! I'll treat you to a celebratory parfait or some ice cream. How does that sound?
Silica: That… [smiles softly] sounds nice. I would like that. No, strike that, I could definitely need that!
Lisbeth: Great, that's more like it! [offers her a hand] So let's get out of here already! I'm honestly tired of this place.
She pulled Silica back to her feet, and together, they walked over to the exit, where the KoB party was still waiting for them, staying out of the two girls' conversation, although they'd been cringing at certain parts of it. Well, at that very moment, that was neither Lisbeth's nor Silica's concern.
In fact, Lisbeth, in particular, seemed to have something… different on her mind.
Lisbeth: Now that I think about it, maybe that "family restaurant"-themed place at the edge of the market street might be better…
Silica: Hm? Do you want something in particular from their menu if you'd rather go there?
Lisbeth [casually]: It's not really that, [teasingly] but I've heard news that their kids' meal hasn't been selling, so they actually added toys to it. How about that? [ruffles Silica's hair] Does lil' Silica want a plushie?
Silica [pushes Lisbeth's hand away]: How old do you think I am?!
Max [thinks]: And now they're arguing about that… I guess it's nice that they're not depressed anymore, but how did we get here?! Ugh, why is pretty much everyone around the Vice-commander so strange? Just where does she get all those weirdos from?!
Mere hours later, a completely different matter was discussed inside an office on the upper floor of the city hall in Triberia, the main town of the 77th floor. The whole town had essentially been occupied by the DDA for months at that point, and the city hall had long turned into the guild's HQ, so it came as no surprise that the aforementioned discussion took place between the leading figures of the Alliance – or at least between three out of five of them.
Lind: Okay, I'm gonna make this short, Schmitt: Just what were you thinking?!
The addressee, Schmitt, had no words to respond, so he only averted his eyes silently. This was met with a sigh by Lind. He got up from his chair behind his desk, and he put his hands on it while fixing his stern gaze at his subordinate.
Lind: You were fleeing from a boss battle, and at a critical moment, at that! Schmitt, you must realise how shameful that is for anyone who's participating in clearing the game, but to top it off, you're the leader of our strongest team!
Yamata: Yeah, that was pretty embarrassing, that pathetic display of cowardice of yours!
Lind: Not now, Yamata! You've made your thoughts on this matter clear already.
Yamata, the third person in the room, stood back, protesting only slightly with a huffy grunt. In the end, Lind was right: He'd already vented earlier by reporting what had happened at the end of the battle against Leodas the Goblin General, and now he only remained in the room to watch Schmitt getting chewed out by Lind.
Lind: Now, back to you, Schmitt. What I really wanna know is if you're actually aware of the impact this might have on the other players. We're supposed to be their hope, the ones to clear this game they're all trapped in, but look at how today's raid went! Forget about leading the clearing efforts, we barely played our part. And then, you just made a run for it!
At first, there was still no reply, and Lind let out another sigh. After that, Schmitt finally seemed to gather himself, and after taking a deep breath…
Schmitt: Listen, if you've heard the story of that boss fight, than you should also know what a horrible monstrosity that thing was… That was a whole different level of threat! Forget anything we've faced so far, this monster was worse than any of that. Even the Skull Reaper wasn't that terrifying, no matter how devastating it was.
Lind: That is only all the more reason for you to keep it together, Schmitt! In the face of untold danger, it is the duty of the strongest players to inspire hope and confidence! And you, Schmitt, are known as the "Impenetrable Wall"! If you can't show confidence in the face of a great threat, how is anyone else supposed to?!
Schmitt [mutters]: This title again…
Not even hearing what Schmitt had just said, Lind let out a huff – and with it (apparently) the rest of his irritation. Or maybe just his energy. Either way, he plopped into his chair, and now, Lind looked surprisingly calm.
Lind: Anyway, I hope you've got the point, Schmitt! I'll leave it at a warning this time, especially since you're an indispensable member of the guild. I trust that you'll do the right thing next time. For now, you're dismissed.
Schmitt remained silent. Getting out of there was, if anything, exactly what he wanted, so he nodded briefly before heading straight for the door and out of this room.
Yamata: Man, who would've thought that Schmitt could be that much of a downer! Not that I'd expect him to be brave at this point, but just thinking about how we could've…
Lind [exasperatedly]: Yamata…
Yamata: Hm? What's the matter?
Lind [glances at Yamata in annoyance]: Get out of my office! Just… get out! [exhaustedly] I need some peace and quiet!
Yamata grumbled, and he considered protesting for a moment, but in the end, he just turned towards the exit and got going, too.
Yamata: Fine, fine! I guess I'm late for the victory party, so I probably should get there quickly anyway.
Well, and so he did… although he certainly didn't run into Schmitt on his way there. Schmitt was wasting no time leaving not just Lind's office, but the whole building. Right now, he only wanted to get home…
...in more ways than one. There was the fact that he went directly to the house where he was staying, wishing to call it a (miserable) day. However – and maybe even more than this short-term goal – he wanted to go home for real.
Schmitt [thinks]: Why can't this damn nightmare just end already? I don't wanna continue this, not with… not with… this level of danger standing in our way back home.
This abnormal monster, Leodas the Goblin General, had engraved itself deep into his memory – Schmitt couldn't get the picture of its vicious, unstoppable rampage out of his head. If that was what they'd have to deal with from now on, Schmitt worried that he might die simply from fear. He'd had several close calls, but in the end, none of them could compare to his experience earlier on that day. He'd never felt so incredibly powerless and… puny. Showing confidence in the face of a great threat?! How was he supposed to do that when said threat could strike down Kirito and Asuna within mere seconds?! The term "great threat" didn't even begin to describe the general of the goblins.
And that was only a "measly" campaign boss! Schmitt's stomach turned when he thought about what the floor boss might be like. He really didn't want to face it after what had happened at the goblin HQ. There was really no telling what the game might have in store for the Assault Team on these last few floors, and it made Schmitt wonder if he'd be able to survive all the way to the end after all…
Two days later, there was a rather gloomy atmosphere at an entirely different office, this time inside the castle in Arc Sophia on the 76th floor. Just as the DDA had established themselves on the 77th floor, the KoB had done the same one floor below.
Well, technically speaking, their official headquarters was still located on the 55th floor, but they also needed a base of operations on the upper floors, and Asuna's "councilman office" seemed to do just fine. Admittedly, a mere office room wasn't much of a base, but in the end, the KoB needed it only for face-to-face meetings in private, and that didn't require a whole fancy building.
Incidentally, it was such a simple meeting that was currently taking place in this office – between Asuna, sitting behind her desk, and Max, standing on the other side. During the last few days, Asuna had been constantly busy with the ongoing raids, so she hadn't been able to deal with the everyday affairs of the guild… and she definitely needed to catch up on the reports, especially since the next floor boss battle was coming up, which would once again require her full attention in order to prepare. Thus, she and Max were discussing the recent matters, finally reaching the last remaining topic.
Max: ...and that concludes Schneider's thoughts on the battle. All in all, he agrees with the rest of his party that the boss battle derailed towards the end, and that we should work on becoming more panic-proof in that regard.
Asuna: I see… [mutters, dejectedly] Indeed, it should've gone better than that… [seriously] Anyhow, Max-san, I'd also like to hear your thoughts about Schneider-kun as your temporary replacement. After receiving everyone's reports about the battle against the Desert Demon, how do you think he fared as the leader of his party?
Max [contemplatively]: Hm… His leadership doesn't seem outstanding, and he certainly didn't distinguish himself during the battle, especially not at the critical moments, but he didn't mess up, either. I suppose he did okay.
Asuna [nods]: I see. Thank you for your assessment. I've had a similar impression. Now then, this seems to be everything for today… [slightly curiously] unless there's something you'd like to add?
Asuna looked at Max inquiringly, and that was actually a welcome opportunity – for there was indeed something Max had been meaning to talk about, although bringing up the topic tactfully had proven quite tricky so far.
Out of all the things Schneider had told him about the battle against the Desert Demon, what concerned Max the most was the fact that Asuna had apparently gone completely off the rails when it had seemed that Kirito had died. Well, that had turned out to be wrong, and she had regained her composure for the most part afterwards, but the whole KoB party agreed that they'd never seen Asuna lose it like that, and, to top it off, from one moment to the next.
Also, there was the fact that the raid party had openly disobeyed her orders at some point. That may not sound like such a big deal, but it had never happened before. There had been dissent outside of battles before, that's for sure – the whole background story of the Assault Team Council was the perfect example – but the players had been putting downright unbridled trust in Asuna's leadership in any battles up until that point. The fact that even that trust could be broken was worrying enough on its own…
...but there was also the fact that Asuna had – according to any and all witnesses – instantly accepted that. Those witnesses all agreed that this was quite peculiar. Why hadn't she at least tried to persuade them or anything like that? Max shared that sentiment, although he had his own explanation.
Many people among the Assault Team (and outside the Assault Team, too) thought of Asuna as an always stoic leader – which, to be fair, was more or less in line with the picture they got to observe – but Max had his doubts about that. Granted, he, too, had believed that to be true at some point, but looking back at a few events, he'd long become doubtful. There was, for instance, the "old" story of Asuna almost leaving the guild around the time the Assault Team had reached the 75th floor, although Max found it questionable whether or not there'd actually been such a risk. Well, some people "blamed" that incident on Kirito's "influence", although Max wondered if something like that could really be chalked up to, "It's because of a guy."
Anyway, Max considered Asuna's personal matters none of his business anyway, although he'd begun wondering if he should consider them his concern – and that's where the recent events came into play. The fact that Asuna had been so out of it upon believing that a single (no matter how specific) person had died had pretty much convinced Max that she was relying on an emotional support structure which was – at least in the perilous world of Aincrad – extremely unstable and could collapse at almost any time.
To be honest, Max wasn't sure what else anyone would expect. Looking at Asuna's appearance, he was sure that she couldn't have been older than eighteen when the whole death game incident had begun, and that was his idea of a conservative estimate. At any rate, she'd certainly been a high school student at most, and no normal experience up until that point would prepare anyone for commanding a bunch of strangers in a battle to the death against superhuman monsters. The worst source of stress she'd probably known ought to be finals or entrance exams, and the extent of leadership experience she might've had was to be part of the student council at some point. None of that, however, would prepare her for the role she was supposed to play now.
Yet here they were, with Asuna playing that role for quite some time already. It actually baffled Max (and not just him) that the clearing effort – essentially a war against mythical or supernatural enemies – was led mostly by a bunch of teenagers. Why not the adults instead?
Well, not that Max was in any position to complain. When it came to him and Asuna, he was the older one – albeit not by much, but still. Even so, Asuna was the one who was left in charge. On top of that, she still paid him a certain respect as an older person – even just the honorific she still used when addressing him even though he was merely her subordinate now showed that – and frankly, it made him feel pathetic. If anything, because of the aforementioned "teenagers are in charge" issue, Max had started to wonder why people made such a big deal out of seniority.
Not that this was the first time he'd found himself in such a position. Just a few years prior, during his high school days, Max had been… kind of dragged into joining the student council by an upperclassman, eventually becoming vice-president. However, when the time for the president to graduate had come, it wasn't him who'd followed in their footsteps. Instead, Max had let an underclassman take the reigns and served as their right-hand man once again. Well, and even later, after joining the KoB in SAO, Max had been nothing but Godfree's subordinate in Team A. Even after that man had been killed, Max had had no intention of succeeding him, not until Asuna had taken over after what had happened on the 75th floor, but that was a story on its own. Well, and even at that point, he'd mainly become Asuna's assistant in leading the guild. Who knew, maybe Max was destined to always be someone else's second-in-command…
The only thing he could do – or so it seemed – was to fulfil this role to the best of his ability, and right now, the best way to do so appeared to be expressing his concern about his superior's mental well-being, and to offer whatever guidance he could, so he opened his mouth to do just that, and…
Max: No, there's nothing.
...immediately bit his tongue after speaking up. What was that?! Max couldn't believe himself… Did he just chicken out? Sure, there was such a thing as discretion, and prying into someone else's matters was quite… discourteous, to say the least, but he still couldn't fathom that his own tongue would go against his judgment like that.
Asuna: Hm, okay. In that case, I thank you for your efforts and your assistance. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go over our intel on the floor boss.
This was Max' cue to let Asuna deal with those matters and leave, but he hesitated. Maybe it would be too strange to speak up about his general concerns now, so he might've wasted that chance, but Max wondered if there was at least something small he could still do.
Max: Hm, about that: If I've heard it correctly, you made – last Friday, I think – plans to go on some sort of shopping trip with your friends today. Shouldn't you rather go there now?
Asuna looked up and at Max – with obvious surprise in her eyes, but also with a hint of caution.
Asuna: A-ah, y-yes, that's… No, more importantly, h-how… do you even know that?
Max: Ah, sorry, that must seem strange… It's just that I happened to overhear some of them mentioning that two days ago at the final fortress of the goblins, that's all.
Asuna: I… I see. That makes sense…
After clearing that up, Asuna calmed down again. Well, the actual question still remained to be answered, so…
Asuna [shakes her head weakly]: Anyhow, I don't… have time for that. There are more important matters, and I can't… [slightly upset and dejectedly] I can't take my role lightly, or else the rest of the Assault Team… [seriously] won't trust me – nor will they even have a reason to. [slightly determinedly] I mustn't slack off, so… And the others already know not to wait for me, so it won't be a problem.
Max could see Asuna clenching her fist on her desk at some point. It was a relatively subtle gesture, but he still noticed that since he happened to look there. Asuna had tried to hide her feelings about that both in her expression and her voice, but small details such as this told Max what he needed to know…
...or rather just a part of it. There was still the question how he could get past the front Asuna was putting up. Well, he did think of something that should, by all accounts, prove fruitful.
Max: But isn't it your own policy that taking rests is just as important as giving one's all on the battlefield? [slightly reprehensively] It might not be my place to say that, but I don't think it'll do for you to obsess over… [calmly] No, strike that. It's just not fitting that you'd overdo it now.
Asuna averted her eyes. Max was right, more than he knew. She asked herself what exactly was up with her pushing back her small reprieves for the sake of putting absolutely everything into her "job".
Max: Therefore, why don't you take the rest of the day off? The last few days were busy enough, and it will most likely take another day before the small guilds will reach the boss room, so there should be enough time tomorrow. As for today, I can take care of relaying what we've discussed to the rest of the guild. I had time to take a break yesterday, so there should be no problem.
Asuna: That might be true… It… [thinks] It might do me good, he's right about that. [slightly worriedly] Although it doesn't feel right to just load everything onto Max-san… However, he seems to be fine, and it was his idea, so maybe it'll be alright? [says aloud, calmly] Thank you, I think I'll follow that suggestion.
Max nodded with a hidden feeling of satisfaction, thinking to himself that – at least this once – he could be of some serious assistance.
Around the same time, and even at almost the same place, someone else sat completely alone in their own office. This was another one of the councilmen: Akinym.
Like Asuna, Akinym didn't really need his official office for anything other than having a convenient place to meet representatives of the smaller guilds. However, he also considered it a quiet place where he could be alone and think about… well, anything. Ironically, his inn room, which should've normally been much more suitable for that purpose, had never really cut it in that regard. Whenever he was there, he couldn't get the noisy bunch that lived across the corridor or the tumult at the restaurant and shop area downstairs out of his head.
So there he was, mentally going through the recent events. He was certainly glad that the war campaign was over, and that the Assault Team would soon be able to move past the 95th floor… finally. This floor had been relatively complex – or at least tedious – and they'd spent roughly two weeks there. As far as Akinym was concerned, this was certainly too much time for a single floor.
Alas, what had many among the Assault Team been more worried about? Akinym sighed as his thoughts shifted to that topic. The war between the lizardmen and the goblins had been just as much a fight between the clearers about the treatment of NPCs – or at least that's how it felt to him. To be frank, he still didn't understand how some players could get so worked up over "people" who'd never been alive to begin with, yet it was impossible to deny that there were several of them upholding such beliefs around him.
Ironically, he shared a certain fear with this "pro-NPC" faction, namely that the Assault Team might face a similar challenge again on their way to the 100th floor, albeit that Akinym's worries were of a different nature. He dreaded the squabbling that would undoubtedly break out if it came to that. Numerous players hadn't been very cooperative on this floor, and that would surely not get any better next time.
The Assault Team had, in his opinion, lost enough time just on the 95th floor. As mentioned, they'd already spent about two weeks on this floor. Now, the month had changed, and it was already early July. At this rate, they could be happy if they'd reach the finish line by mid-August. That wasn't good…
According to the last "survival update" from the Army, the players were down to 5,705 people… probably even less by now. To put this into perspective: Since the founding of the Assault Team Council, roughly 200 players had died. None of these casualties had occurred among the Assault Team, mind you. It had been almost exclusively players from the lower floors who had died during that time. That way, the majority of the Clearers might've not even noticed that anything was going awry there.
Akinym, however, had. He understood that no week was passing without someone dying somewhere out there in Aincrad, and there was nothing the Assault Team could do about it. Nothing other than clearing the game. The way things were, doing so a week earlier would get someone out of this death trap before it would kill them – and even if it was just one person, that would be one person more who could leave SAO alive, and that counter going up – no matter how little – was all that mattered to Akinym in this moment.
Well, at least for a few seconds. Akinym's mind soon wandered to other events and topics. To be fair, the first one was closely related: There were other risks to the Assault Team's speed while clearing the rest of the game, and the currently most imminent one appeared to be a crack in their trust in Asuna's leadership. Not the first time that this had happened, now that he thought about it, but this one had the potential to become worse trouble than the last one.
Akinym had only heard stories about this, but apparently, Asuna had completely lost her composure during the battle against the Desert Demon. Judging from what he'd heard, it had something to do with Kirito seemingly dying during the battle, although that had turned out to be a misunderstanding soon thereafter. It was enough to get some people talking, wondering if Asuna was still in the mental shape to lead them into battle. Akinym was sure that Sunny Tzu and maybe others from the DDA had a hand in this, but he didn't even bother to check that. The much more important question was what he could do about that… which he didn't really find a satisfying answer to. Well, Asuna would take command during the upcoming floor boss battle, and as long as she'd do well there, the issue should (hopefully) resolve itself.
Anyhow, this wasn't the only incident that troubled Akinym, even if he kept focusing on the field boss battle the other day. As it had turned out, Sinon, too, had faced quite a lot of difficulties.
Well, there was the fact that she'd almost died at some point – or to be more precise, that Yamata had almost got her killed.
Akinym [thinks, irritatedly]: Honestly, just how much trouble can a single idiot cause? Ugh, I keep wondering… Is there really no way to arrange for this moron to get himself killed? Specifically without taking anyone else with him…
Akinym soon dropped this thought, as it was likely not getting anywhere, and he had other concerns. What had made him think about Sinon and her experiences during her last battle was what had transpired in the evening the day before. Sinon, who'd apparently felt very restless, had knocked at Akinym's door and had, to put it simple, insisted to talk about something.
What she had revealed to him was the story how three players had almost died when the Desert Demon had used a special skill after its third HP bar had been depleted. It had been up to Sinon to save them by shooting at the Desert Demon until its HP would've gone down a certain amount further, but she'd found herself downright paralysed when being confronted with the possibility to hit the players in question instead. The thought that she might've been the one to kill one of them – even if it would've been purely on accident – had utterly overwhelmed her in that moment, and it had been only thanks to the help of the lizardmen that all the players had survived.
Even if it was "only" a near miss, Sinon was distraught, and Akinym got the gist of the situation. Sinon blamed herself for not being able to pull through and help in that crucial moment, and she feared that they wouldn't get off lightly next time – and Akinym certainly didn't want that, either.
He'd been wondering what exactly he could do to help her ever since Sinon had confided in him about what had happened at a certain post office in Sinon's hometown years ago, thinking that there had to be more he could do than just listening to her and giving what little advice he had to offer. This incident had finally convinced Akinym that it was time to take some more decisive measures, and he had indeed something in mind. In that regard, he'd have to pay Argo a visit later.
Well, he had that much time. There was nothing Akinym could do on the current day, anyway. After all, Sinon had "taken the day off" for a shopping trip with her friends… and speaking of whom, Akinym also remembered another plan he'd already made quite some time ago, only to never proceed past the "Asuna stage", but that was something he'd have to take care of at another time. Anyway, as a matter of fact, Sinon was busy somewhere else, so for the time being, Akinym could only prepare his idea.
Speaking of a shopping trip, however, Akinym also remembered a completely different kind of plan he'd already made towards the end of the previous week. Ascending Moon had asked him for advice for their supply shopping – and that would take place today. Now that he thought about it, he had to get ready and meet them.
Akinym: Well, I guess it's gonna be a busy day. I'll quickly set up an appointment with Argo-san, and be on my way after that…
Around noon on that day, there was one more noteworthy event. This one took place on the 95th floor itself. To be more precise, it happened right outside the labyrinth tower. A group of six men approached the entrance… or so it seemed. In reality, they were headed for the battleground in front of it, the site of their battle against the Desert Demon. This party was Fuurinkazan, and they'd come for a very specific purpose.
After the fierce battle the day before, the area was still a mess. Some people had speculated that the system would restore the environment, but there were still craters everywhere… especially the huge, funnel-like one where the Desert Demon had shown its last gasp of great resistance – and where it had eventually died. Now, the one who'd slain it, Klein, was walking down the slope to the very spot where that had happened.
Come to think of it, the members of Fuurinkazan were actually quite happy that this pit was still there. If it hadn't been, finding the right location for what they were about to do would've been downright impossibly difficult. The way things were, however, Klein was pretty confident that he knew where to go, and after reaching the spot he had in mind, he looked around for a few seconds before he nodded contentedly.
Klein: Yep, this should be it. Now then, let's place it here.
Klein opened his inventory, and after briefly browsing through the items, he turned a particular one into an object. It was sword – but not just any sword: He and the rest of Fuurinkazan had searched more or less every smithy on every floor for this one. It was a longsword that resembled the weapon of Kem'Pal, the fallen general of the lizardmen, almost perfectly. Klein rammed this sword deep into the sandy ground, so that it would (hopefully) remain stuck there.
Once that was done, he took a step back, and he and his guildmates, who were attending this "ceremony" behind him, beheld this sight with clear traces of sadness in their eyes.
Klein [thinks]: Well, what now? I guess there's one thing left to do, [slightly awkwardly] although I've never been one for this kind of stuff. Meh, I guess it just belongs to a proper burial…
He clapped his hands together and lowered his head, speaking a small, silent prayer for the deceased lizardman warrior. Seeing that, the other players quickly figured that they should follow suit, and they did just that.
Klein: Now then, Kem, I guess this is our final farewell. You've managed to achieve your big dream, the survival of your people – good for you. They're doing well, so I hope you can rest in peace, watching them from wherever you are now. [casually, slightly disdainfully] Well, there are plenty of people who say that you didn't even have a soul that could rest or anything, but whatever! What do they know about whether an NPC has a soul or not?!
With that out of the way, Klein turned around and towards the rest of his guild.
Klein: Okay, guys, we're done here, so let's get going! This accursed game isn't gonna clear itself, is it?
One after another, the other members agreed casually, and they all began to ascend the slope again, heading for the labyrinth this time. After a few steps, however, Kunimittz suddenly stopped, gazing to the right. Being the first to notice that due to walking in the back, Klein stopped, too.
Klein: Hey, what's wrong?
Now, the rest of Fuurinkazan noticed Kunimittz' behaviour, too, and since he only stared into the distance with a puzzled expression, the remaining five members simply turned into that direction to see for themselves what was going on.
Well, it certainly was something strange… or at least unexpected. There were two lizardman soldiers coming down the slope, and they seemed to walk straight towards Kem'Pal's "burial site". Sure enough, the two NPCs continued walking until they'd reached the sword Klein had put into the ground, and they were taking position on either side of it.
The members of Fuurinkazan exchanged quizzical looks for a brief moment, and then, Klein took it upon himself to check what was going on.
Klein: Hey, you two, what are you doing here?
Lizardman 1 [slightly solemnly]: Why, we're the guard of honour for our fallen hero, Kem'Pal-sama!
Klein [taken aback]: H-huh? Guard of honour? For Kem?
Lizardman 2: Scaleless ones, you might be among the warriors who aided us in our war against the Scaleless Turnips, but I must ask you to act with dignity around the grave of our great hero!
Klein: Grave… Ah, so you mean this…
Frankly, Klein still had no idea what exactly was going on all of a sudden, but these lizardmen apparently treated the sword he'd placed here just as much as a serious burial ground as the players had earlier. Despite his confusion, Klein was actually somewhat relieved about the presence of these guards. After all, the memorial they'd "built" was just a mere sword, an ordinary item that would become fair game, free for any passing player to take, before long.
Klein even reached for the sword and pulled on its hilt, but the result appeared to surprise him, and he abruptly let go of it and stumbled a bit backwards.
Lizardman 1 [very sternly]: Do not touch it, scaleless warrior! This is an important relic of the lizardmen, and it must remain here! If you're willing to pay your respects, we'll gladly let you, but refrain from any other action on this sacred site!
Klein: Aah, it's… okay. No need to get worked up.
Since Klein kept staring at the sword after that, the other players from his guild quickly began to wonder what was wrong.
Dale: Hey, Leader, what's the matter?
Klein: It's just… Damn, how should I put it? Well, I couldn't take this sword even if I tried, but see for yourselves!
He pointed at the window that had popped up after he'd touched the sword's hilt. At first, the other players were confused, and to be honest, that only got worse upon seeing what was written on that window. The description of the object read, "Grave of the General and Great Hero of the Lizardmen, Kem'Pal". Judging from the information that was displayed, this wasn't a garden-variety sword anymore, but a fixed part of the environment, much like a regular tombstone would be. Sure enough, when Klein had attempted to move it, it hadn't budged at all.
Issin: Well, that's something… What do you guys think this is supposed to mean?
Dynamm: I don't know, I guess the game somehow turned this into a real grave? No idea how or why, though…
As they kept pondering about that, Klein suddenly began to chuckle.
Klein: And here I thought this rotten game doesn't even care about its own people… I guess Cardinal has a heart after all. Well, now it's safe to say that it was a good idea to bring this sword here, even if it's not really Kem's.
Klein turned towards his puzzled guildmates again, this time with a relieved smile on his face.
Klein: Anyway, guys, we were on the way to the labyrinth, weren't we? So what are we waiting for?
Still confused, the other players ultimately agreed with Klein, and they made their way towards the labyrinth tower – for real this time. On the way there, Klein looked over his shoulder at Kem'Pal's new grave one more time.
Klein [thinks]: Seems like you won't be forgotten, Kem. That's good to know! Well, not that I'd forget you, with or without a grave. Even so, it's good to know that at least your people will honour this place, given that I'll most likely not be able to come back – at least not anytime soon. After all, I have my own mission to take care of.
Klein turned his head around again, facing his guild.
Klein [confidently]: Just you wait, and watch me, Kem! I'll lead these guys home – [seriously] just as I've promised you… I'm not gonna allow another comrade of mine to die in front of me!
...and that's it for the story of the 95th floor. This won't be the last time for it to be the stage in this story, but it won't be in the spotlight like before anymore.
I've already briefly mentioned what's next to come in the A/N at the end of the previous chapter, but I'll clarify it here: Next up, I'll write two sidestories (it's been more than a year since the last one...), and after that, we'll continue here with something that was hinted at in this chapter.